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Eye DiseasePhase 1NCT00001737

Cyclosporin Implant to Treat Uveitis

A Phase 1 study testing Cyclosporin A Implant in people with Eye Disease and Inflammation, run by National Eye Institute (NEI) at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This study will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a sustained-release cyclosporin implant to treat uveitis, a sight-threatening eye inflammation caused by an immune system abnormality. Previous studies in humans have shown that, taken by mouth, the drug cyclosporin is effective in treating chronic uveitis. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Any age
Conditions the study is for
Eye Disease, Inflammation, Uveitis
What is being tested?
Cyclosporin A Implant
How many people
10 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
May 1998to Mar 2004
Phase
Phase 1
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages Any age
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Age range: 15 or older.
  • Active non-infectious intermediate, posterior or panuveitis present for at least 6 months despite systemic immunosupressive therapy including at least 20 mg of oral prednisone or use of another immunosuppressive agent.
  • Visual acuity worse than 20/80 (55 letters) and better than 5/200 (4 letters) in the eye to receive the CsA implant, and better than 20/80 (54 letters) in the non-study eye.
  • Bilateral or unilateral uveitis with active inflammation in one eye only (eye to be implanted). Patients may continue systemic immunosuppressants with the exception of systemic CsA. Patients may not take greater than 1 drop of topical steroid four times a day in the eye to be implanted for maintenance of anterior segment inflammation after 1 month postoperatively.
  • Recordable electroretinogram (ERG).
  • Willingness and the ability, with assistance of a care giver, if necessary, to comply with treatment and follow-up procedures.
Show all 10Show fewer
  • The ability to understand and sign an informed consent form which must be obtained prior to treatment.
  • Negative serum pregnancy test (females of childbearing potential only).
  • Normal serum creatinine (males 0.9 - 1.4 mg/dL, females 0.7 - 1.3 mg/dL).
  • No current or past history of retinal detachment.

Who cannot join

  • Current or past history of retinal detachment.
  • Pregnant or lactating patients or patients with potential for conception unless using effective contraception. Fertile males must use effective contraception. Contraception would no longer be mandatory for participation in this study at three months postoperatively assuming (1) negligible CsA absorption, (2) patient is not taking any other medications that may affect a developing fetus or spermatogenesis.
  • Patients who received therapy within the previous one week with any nephrotoxic drugs.
  • Patients having a known allergy to CsA.
  • Patients receiving current therapy with CsA. Patients need to be off of systemic CsA seven days prior to implant surgery. Patients may continue other immunosuppressive therapies if needed to control inflammation in contralateral (non-study) eye provided the inflammation is currently not active.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • National Eye Institute (NEI)

    Bethesda, Maryland, 20892

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: A Pilot Study of a Sustained-Release Cyclosporine A Implant for Uveitis

This study will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a sustained-release cyclosporin implant to treat uveitis, a sight-threatening eye inflammation caused by an immune system abnormality. Previous studies in humans have shown that, taken by mouth, the drug cyclosporin is effective in treating chronic uveitis.

Uveitis may require long-term treatment with potent immune-suppressing drugs, such as cyclosporin, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, azathioprine or steroids. Taken systemically (by mouth or injection), however, these drugs can do serious damage to the kidneys, liver or lungs, and can raise blood pressure and lower blood cell counts. Because of this, some patients cannot or will not use these medicines.

Read more

This small pilot study will evaluate the safety, and to some extent effectiveness, of cyclosporin delivered directly into the eye, to try to prevent harmful side effects. In animal studies, sustained-release cyclosporin implants did not cause the severe side effects seen with systemic use of the drug. Some animals developed opacity of the lens and slowed retinal responses, both of which reversed when the drug was stopped. Earlier animal studies of cyclosporin injected directly into the eye reduced inflammation that had been produced experimentally.

Patients with uveitis who have active inflammation and poor vision are eligible to participate in this study. Patients will be randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups. One group will receive a 1-mg implant that releases 0.8 micrograms of drug each day; the second group will receive a 2-mg implant that delivers 1.4 micrograms of drug a day.

Before surgery, patients will have a medical history, basic physical examination, and complete eye examination, including special tests called electroretinogram and fluorescein angiography. An electroretinogram measures the electrical responses generated in the retina in the back of the eye. Fluorescein angiography uses a special camera to photograph the retina, showing the condition of the blood vessels in the eye.

The surgical procedure to place the implant takes about 1.5 hours and may be done under either local or general anesthesia. Patients will stay in the hospital overnight. After discharge from the hospital, they will return for follow-up visits 1 and 2 weeks after surgery, then once a month for 6 months, and then every 3 months until the implant is depleted of drug or removed. During these follow-up visits, eye examinations will be repeated to evaluate the effects of the implant on the eye. Repeat blood tests will measure the amount of cyclosporin in the blood and the drug's effect on the kidneys. When the implant runs out of drug (between 2 and 3 years), it may be removed or left in place.

Read the detailed description

Sight threatening uveitis may require long term use of systemic immunosuppressants. In some patients, aggressive systemic immunosuppressive therapy fails to control inflammation and can lead to serious side effects. Oral Cyclosporin A (CsA) has been shown in several human trials to be effective in treating chronic uveitis. This pilot study will assess the safety, and to some extent efficacy, of a novel intraocular CsA release implant in patients with active inflammation and poor visual acuity in one eye despite immunosuppressant therapy. Patients will be randomly assigned to receive in one eye a 1 or 2 mg CsA implant releasing at either 0.8 microgram per day or 1.4 microgram per day respectively. The main purpose of the study is to assess the safety of the CsA implant. Secondary outcomes will include a change from baseline in the ocular inflammation, visual acuity, and the need for concomitant anti-inflammatory medications.

Being tested
Cyclosporin A Implant
Keywords
Eye, Immunosuppression, Inflammation, Therapy, Vitreous, Uveitis
Medical subject headings
Eye Diseases, Inflammation, Uveitis

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Cyclosporin A ImplantDrug

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted4 Nov 1999 (estimated)
  2. Study startMay 1998
  3. Study completionMar 2004

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Enrolment
10 participants
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00001737
Sponsor's protocol ID
980110
Other IDs
98-EI-0110
Status last verified
Mar 2004
First submitted
3 Nov 1999
Last updated
4 Mar 2008
Results posted
No

Publications

  • Pearson PA, Jaffe GJ, Martin DF, Cordahi GJ, Grossniklaus H, Schmeisser ET, Ashton P. Evaluation of a delivery system providing long-term release of cyclosporine. Arch Ophthalmol. 1996 Mar;114(3):311-7. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1996.01100130307014.

    PubMed 8600892
  • Whitcup SM, Salvo EC Jr, Nussenblatt RB. Combined cyclosporine and corticosteroid therapy for sight-threatening uveitis in Behcet's disease. Am J Ophthalmol. 1994 Jul 15;118(1):39-45. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9394(14)72840-5.

    PubMed 8023874
  • Smith TJ, Pearson PA, Blandford DL, Brown JD, Goins KA, Hollins JL, Schmeisser ET, Glavinos P, Baldwin LB, Ashton P. Intravitreal sustained-release ganciclovir. Arch Ophthalmol. 1992 Feb;110(2):255-8. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1992.01080140111037.

    PubMed 1310588

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 1 study testing Cyclosporin A Implant in people with Eye Disease and Inflammation, run by National Eye Institute (NEI) at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 10 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 Mar 2008. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 1 studies test a treatment in a small group of people for the first time or in a new way, mainly to check safety and find the right dose.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00001737, which also lists 3 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 4 Mar 2008.

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